Poll shows working from home preferred

More than 60 percent of polled Bahamians note they prefer to continue working from home when the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, principal of Sumner Strategic Partners Edison Sumner told Guardian Business yesterday.

Sumner, who is part of the Economic Recovery Committee (ERC), said the sub-committee on digitization and the conceptual economy conducted a poll one month ago that asked if people would consider continue their remote working.

“The results of that poll shows us that 60-plus percent of individuals would prefer working from home or remotely from the office and stated that they felt they were much more productive working from home than working in an office environment for a number of reasons.

“The progressive thinkers, the progressive entrepreneurs, the progressive CEO, manager or team leader will see the value in allowing their staff, the team, etc., to work remotely.

“The fact is if you’ve been able to do it successfully for the last six to eight months and your staff has proven to be productive, they have proven to get the work done without the direct supervision, they have proven they can meet deadlines, they can produce the reports and the outcomes that were expected without having the need to be sitting in the office, then I think that’s going to be the new trend.”

Sumner added that companies will also likely begin to see the benefits of scaling down their workspaces and therefore, in some cases, saving money.

“A lot of companies will find that they do not need the same level of square footage that they had before, because now they can literally downsize the square footage in the office,”he said.

“You might just have a space if you have to go in to meet clients, or if you have conferences or board meetings that’s one thing, but even those meetings are being held virtually.”

According to Sumner, employees who work remotely are likely to save money on commuting, be less frustrated, be more productive and work more hours. 

“I don’t see this trend changing,” said Sumner.

“In fact, I see this being more of a sustained trend or perhaps even a growing development where professionals and others who have the ability to work remotely are going to continue doing so.” 

source https://thenassauguardian.com/poll-shows-working-from-home-preferred/